Canada to introduce 10-year biometric ePassport

Canada’s Passport Office will start issuing higher-security 10-year electronic passports, or ePassports, to Canadians early next year. This offering will provide Canadians with access to a decade-long travel credential for this first time.

An ePassport is also known as a “biometric passport”. It looks like a traditional passport book, but it contains an electronic chip that is encoded with surname, given name, date of birth, place of birth and gender information. It also includes a digital picture of the bearer’s face. Signatures are not reproduced on the chip.

The addition of the electronic chip to the Canadian passport is designed to increase security, provide greater protection against tampering and reduce the risk of fraud.

The 10-year ePassport will cost $135 for adults. The new passport will bring Canada up to G8 standards. Nearly 100 countries presently use the new ePassport standard.

Article Topics

biometric passport  |  biometrics  |  border control  |  ePassports  |  fraud  |  government